Umur 15 menjadi seorang delegasi. Umur bukan halangan untuk berprestasi!

 

Being a Delegate to Japan at The Age of 15

Amabelle Naraya Turana, IX-C/7

If my future self said to me that I would be a delegate to Japan when I was still in Junior High School, I would laugh at her with disbelief in myself.  At the end of 2023, there was a community named “Sejutacita Future Leaders” in short, SFL. They held one of the biggest national competitions, it was their sixth program. There were 3 competition choices, I chose all of them, but I focused more on the essay competition. There was a 1st battle, then I succeeded to be one of the 50% from all of the participants. In December 2023, I was having a holiday. My family and I were preparing for our dinner at the hotel. It was the day that I had been waiting for, the announcement day. You’re the winner if you succeed in the top 150. 

There I was, sitting with my heart pounding really quick. “Amabelle Naraya Turana, SMP Santa Ursula BSD”, there was my name on that pdf file. I couldn't believe it, “Mom, I’m going to Japan!” I said to my mom. The last time I went to Japan was when I was still in elementary school. I had gone there a few times, but this time, I’ll go there because of my own accomplishment. There were only two winners from my school's community and I was the only one from my Junior High School. I was so glad, I couldn’t believe it. I made it to the top 150 from thousands of participants from ages 13-30ish.

1 month before the flight date, the other 17 delegates and I did a few bonding together to prepare for our departure virtually. To be honest, I was scared at first, there were only two delegates from Junior High School, including me. The other delegates were already in High School, college, and even there were two of them that already work. However, something I wanted to level up there is my bravery to speak my thoughts and ideas. Every bonding and every chance I could take, I took it. I often raise my hand and the mentor trusted me to be their notulist for every bonding session. We were separated into a few divisions and I was trusted to be the leader of the equipment team. It was such a great start, I worked with the other delegates in that division to prepare the book guide for our trip, our merch, banner, etc. It was 29 February, the day we finally met at the Airport. I tried to make a great 1st impression and also had a bit of “chit chat” with them. I also talked to Kak Andhika, the person behind the SFL community. He asked me, “What’s your objective here?”I answered him, “I want to increase my bravery in every aspect because I’m the smallest one here.”

That objective, did I make it? Yes, yes I did. It was a 6 days and 5 nights leadership trip, but I learned a lot. First, teamwork and bravery which started to apply in our bonding session. I have to be brave enough to share my thoughts and work with the other delegates with our age gap and differences. Second, sensitivity and careness. In Japan, the delegates and I have to be sensitive and take great care of each other in that foreign country. Third, discipline and time management. Every single day of that trip, there were a bunch of destinations to go and we got the freedom to separate with the others and explore by our own team, but we need to have a great time management to be on time at the gathering point. Fourth, appreciation and toleration. Japan has such a different culture from Indonesia, the delegates and I needed to respect their culture of hustle and discipline. For myself, I really increased my tolerance to the other delegates because we had a different religion, culture, etc and it was beautiful. Fifth, stamina. We could start our day at 4.30ish and go back to the hotel at 22.00 or 23.00ish. The mentor also gave us a daily challenge to improve our life and leadership lessons. Six, money management. As a 15 year old on her first leadership trip without her parents, I needed to manage my money well. I seperated my money by needs, wishes, and extras. The delegates and I also explored Osaka and Tokyo University, it was such a gorgeous university. Personally, I explored Tokyo University : Medicine. 

On the last day, we did our last bonding together. It started at 22.30 pm and ended at 01.00 am. I shared my testimony on that trip. There was an appreciation session, I won top 3 MVP on that trip with the title “Full of kindness”. My mentor said “Mabelle is the youngest one here. She’s very respectful to each of us, but she is still brave enough to take any opportunities during this trip.” That night, Ka Andhika and the other mentors said that this is the most memorable thing that happened in the SFL Leadership Trip. A lot of us shared about our past struggles to get to that night. I was captivated by their stories, and I realized something. The most confident looking people are the insecurest ones. The most successful people have a big struggle to get to their success point. Lastly, everyone has a struggle in life, so we should be way nicer to each other.  

No words can describe how grateful I’m for this opportunity. I want to thank all of the people that have supported me ; my parents, headmaster, teachers, and friends. I also want to thank SejutaCita for trusting me as one of their delegates. Lastly, I want to thank me for all the life opportunities that I took and expressed in those essays that I sent to them. For all the young people out there, please take those chances. Best luck is that you fail, but if you succeed, there are more opportunities coming for you from a great networking experience